Chapter 7
After that, I made a fool of myself a few more times.
One time, I was at the supermarket and wanted to buy some bread, but I accidentally said "bride" instead.
"Excuse me, do you have any bride?" I asked.
The cashier, a middle-aged woman, stared at me for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.
I was so mortified that I wished the floor would swallow me up.
Felix, who happened to be passing by after work, came in and saw me. He walked over from behind me, explained to the cashier in flawless Sterkisch, then turned to me and said, "Bread, not bride."
"I-I know," I stammered.
"You're blushing."
"It's just cold."
Without a word, Felix grabbed a loaf of bread from the shelf and dropped it into my basket.
"Come on, bride," he teased.
"Don't call me that!" I protested.
"Bride."
"Felix!"
On the way back, Felix kept a straight face, but I could tell he was barely holding back his laughter.
Another time was more ridiculous.
I typed out a message in Veyrish on my phone: [I think I have a fever today.]
But the voice input automatically translated it into Sterkisch, and I sent it without checking.
The message was a mix of Veyrish and Sterkisch.
Felix replied with a question mark, then called me.
"Edward," he said.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"That's not Sterkisch."
"What?"
"The message you sent was a mix of Veyrish and Sterkisch."
I quickly checked my phone and nearly fainted.
"So, can you understand it?" I asked.
"Yeah," he replied.
"That's all that matters."
Felix paused for a moment, then said, "Edward, you're the worst Sterkisch speaker of all the international students I've met."
"Isn't that perfect?" I said. "My Sterkisch sucks, so you can teach me. Take it slow with me."
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.
Then Felix said, "Edward, your grammar was spot on this time."
"Huh? Really?" I was surprised.
"Really."
"Then I'll try to speak more often."
He didn't say anything, but I could hear his breathing. It was a bit heavier than before.
Another time, I was so hungry in the middle of the night that I couldn't sleep, so I messaged Felix: [Felix, I'm starving.]
About ten minutes later, Felix texted back: [There's some ravioli my mom made in the fridge. Come over and grab some.]
Me: [Now?]
Felix: [Yeah.]
I ran over to Felix's place in my pajamas, braving the cold wind. When he opened the door, he was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and pajama pants, his hair a total mess, like he'd rolled out of bed.
He handed me a box of frozen ravioli and slipped a packet of chili sauce into my hand.
"Cook them when you get home. Don't use the microwave," he said.
"Got it," I replied.
I stood there at the door, holding the ravioli, looking at his face caught in the shadows and glow of the streetlight.
"Felix," I called out.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"You're so nice to me. How am I supposed to pay you back?"
He paused for a moment. "Pass your Sterkisch test."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
I wasn't convinced.
But I let it go.
That night, I went home, cooked up the ravioli, and sat by the window, eating while watching the moon.
The moon was the same as always.
But somehow, I didn't feel so homesick anymore.
Life kept rolling along. Every weekend, I'd crash at Felix's place for a free meal, and we'd chat about random stuff on WhatsApp. Sometimes, he'd text me out of the blue, asking if I'd eaten or reminding me to bundle up if it was cold.
His messages were always short, but I couldn't help rereading them again and again.
My roommate caught on that I was acting weird.
"Edward, are you dating someone lately?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"Then why are you always glued to your phone, grinning like an idiot?"
I glanced down and, sure enough, I was grinning like a fool at my chat with Felix.
"I'm watching funny videos," I said.
"What kind of funny videos make you grin like that?" my roommate asked.
"You wouldn't get it."
My roommate rolled his eyes and walked away.
I set my phone face down on the table, but my cheeks wouldn't cool off.
What was wrong with me?
After almost half a year in Sterkenland, my biggest achievement was not mastering Sterkisch, but falling for a Sterkenlandish cop?
And the craziest part? I was a guy.
And so was Felix.
If my mom found out, she'd probably hop on a plane and drag me back home herself.
But I couldn't help myself.